Senator Tim Ayres has been named as Australia’s new Industry Minister, with innovation also added to his portfolio as part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Cabinet reshuffle following the Labor party’s rousing election victory.

Albanese on Monday afternoon appointed Ayres as the new Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, taking the place of Ed Husic, who was ousted last week due to factional power plays.

Anika Wells has been named the new Minister for Communications, giving her responsibility for the controversial social media age ban, while Andrew Charlton is the new Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy.

The role of Special Envoy for Cyber Security has been scrapped as part of the reshuffle.

Announcing the new Cabinet, Albanese said it was an “extraordinary opportunity for ministers” to put an “ambitious agenda to change this country for the better”.

Josh Griggs, CEO of ACS – the professional association for Australia's technology professionals – welcomed the appointment of Ayres.

"We're excited to have Tim Ayres becoming Industry and Innovation Minister to continue building Australia's 21st century industry capabilities that was started by the previous minister, Ed Husic," he said.

"ACS looks forward to continuing our work with the Albanese government in helping Australia reap the opportunities from emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and use technology to boost the nation's productivity and well-being."

The Ayres apparent

Ayres has served as a Labor Senator for NSW since 2019, and was the Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, Trade and a Future Made in Australia in the Albanese government’s first term.

Innovation has also been added to the title of the portfolio, after being absent since the Coalition government removed it in 2018.

Ayres will have responsibility for the National Reconstruction Fund, Labor’s $15 billion manufacturing fund which has dished out more than $430 million across eight investments since late last year.

Anika Wells is the new Minister for Communications...and Sports. Photo: YouTube

Ayres will also oversee the Labor government’s efforts around artificial intelligence and quantum computing, including the $470 million investment in PsiQuantum’s efforts to build a commercial quantum computer in Brisbane.

The Industry Department is currently developing an artificial intelligence capability plan with plans for this to be unveiled by the end of the year, along with a strategic examination of research and development in Australia.

Working with Ayres will be Charlton, who was elected as the Member for Parramatta at the 2022 election.

Albanese said that Charlton will be focusing on emerging technologies and their impact on the economy.

“His policy role will be [to] work with Tim Ayres in Industry on new technology, artificial intelligence, all of the impacts it’s going to have on the nature of work and the changing nature of our economy, and I think Andrew will be a contributor there,” Albanese said.

Charlton previously served as Special Envoy for Cyber Security and Digital Resilience from mid-last year and before entering politics, having worked as a managing director at Accenture and obtained a PhD in economics from the University of Oxford.

The full reshuffle

The reshuffle will also see Wells replacing Michelle Rowland as Minister for Communications, and retaining her role as Minister for Sport.

Rowland has been appointed the new Attorney-General, replacing Mark Dreyfus in the role, who was also the victim of factional moves late last week.

Wells will now have responsibility over the eSafety Commission and will oversee the federal government’s controversial social media age ban, which is slated to come into effect later this year.

Andrew Charlton is the new Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy. Photo: YouTube

The Communications Department is currently conducting trials of age assurance technologies to work out how the ban will be implemented, with options including age verification, age estimation and age inference.

Albanese was asked on Monday whether he was confident that these age assurance trials are running as they should, but did not provide an answer to this.

The ministerial changes also see Anne Aly taking on the Small Business portfolio, Andrew Giles moved to be Minister for Skills and Training, and Dan Merlino named as Assistant Treasurer.

Minister for the NDIS in the previous term Amanda Rishworth has been moved to the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Tony Burke has retained his role as Home Affairs Minister and will continue to oversee the government’s cybersecurity policies.

Husic hits out over ousting

Husic lashed the Labor Party over the weekend after he was dropped from Labor’s frontbench and his role as Industry Minister.

Speaking on ABC Insiders on Sunday morning, Husic branded Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles a “factional assassin”.

“The difficult issue here is that we’ve had barefaced ambition and a Deputy Prime Minister [who] wields a factional club to reshape the ministry,” he said.

“I think people when they look at a Deputy Prime Minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin.”

Ed Husic was ousted from the front bench. Photo: YouTube

In the interview, Husic urged the Labor government to have a “growth agenda”.

“I think we’ve done some great work in terms of helping average Australian workers get ahead,” he said.

“We need to fuel growth into the future. That’s why I’ve been focused on technology.

“We are going to need to make big changes in a world that is changing to ensure the country stands on its own two feet.”

It came after former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating also slammed the decision to remove Husic, saying this was an “appalling denial of [his] diligence and application in bringing the core and emerging technologies of the digital age to the centre of Australian public policy”.

Last week Treasurer Jim Chalmers said that the government in its second term would “do more to embrace technology, particularly the AI opportunity”.

Late Monday, David Littleproud fended off a challenge by Matt Canavan to remain as leader of the Nationals.

The Liberals will vote for their new leader on Tuesday, in a showdown between Sussan Ley and Angus Taylor.